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Questioning Character, but Not a Presidency; Thinking vs. Doing

In response to the possibility that President Clinton is lying about his sex life, your March 17 editorial says ''rigorous inquiry into the character of Presidential candidates is not an intrusion but a civic obligation.'' The Rev. Billy Graham also associates our leaders' sex lives with personal character on a par with cheating in business, racism and taking bribes (Op-Ed, March 17).

I wonder if you would agree with Mr. Graham that ''if we even think an immoral act, it is the same in God's sight as the act itself.'' Will your editorial board cast the first stones in asking future candidates about their fantasy lives, a la Jimmy Carter's admission of lust in his heart?

EDWARD ROSENFELD

New York, March 17, 1998

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A version of this letter appears in print on March 20, 1998, on Page A00022 of the National edition with the headline: Questioning Character, but Not a Presidency; Thinking vs. Doing. Today's Paper|Subscribe